Sirdiwas, Chumchet, Lho, Bihi, Prok, Samagaun, and Chhekampar are the VDCs that have been facing acute food shortage. The government is supplying rice to locals from the food shortage areas of northern Gorkha through Nepal Food Corporation (NFC). However, the NFC has failed to supply food to those areas following the earthquake.
After the food stock in the two depots of NFC warehouses at Machhakhola and Sirdibas finished, locals from remote parts have been deprived of food.The NFC had to supply 3000 quintals of rice to Sirdibas depot, and 1500 quintals to Machhakhola depot by the end of the current fiscal year. But, it has been able to supply just 2600 quintals and 650 quintals of rice in Sirdibas and Machhakhola depots respectively so far.
The rice supplied to the depots has already been sold out, according to Ganga Prasad Shah, NFC chief of Gorkha. After the depots ran out of the stock, the depot staffers have also come back to the headquarters.
Rice is supplied to the seven VDCs of northern Gorkha under the government quota.
Potato and wheat in those VDCs are not grown in abundance. Even the locals have to wait for six to nine months to harvest their crops. As a result, the government has been supplying food to ease the shortage.
Now the locals have neither been able to purchase rice from NFC depots nor have they received earthquake food relief provided by the government.
The locals said the United Nations recently transported rice by helicopter to food crisis areas, but that was not sufficient so they are still awaiting the government quota of rice and relief.
Chief District Officer (CDO), Uddhav Timilsina admitted that the government has not been able to supply rice despite the need and demand.
"It is not possible to send rice to the remote villages through other means other than helicopters. And the district administration cannot afford to hire choppers," said he. "We have already urged the higher authorities to supply rice, but they have yet to respond."
However, Manaslu trekking route, the only trail to reach the remote parts of northern Gorkha, remains obstructed at several places by the landslides following the recent earthquakes.
According to the District Disaster Relief Committee (DDRC), the obstructed route cannot be cleared easily as the landslides are massive in some places.
CDO Timilsina, who is also the president of DDRC, told Republica that he has already requested all senior leaders, including the prime minister to ministers, during their visit to Gorkha to arrange helicopters to supply relief materials and rice to the food-short areas.
"If the food is not delivered to those area at this time, there will be an acute shortage of food for the two months during the monsoon," sad he. "A small helicopter, which can carry 400 kg of rice, has to make 150 flights to meet the food demand in the district."
He informed that the high level authorities are yet to respond to the frequent requests made by the district for managing helicopters.
Among the seven foot short VDCs, Samagaun and Chhekampar are connected to the Tibet autonomous region of China. If the government manages to open the border with China then it will be easier for the locals to buy their basic commodities from across the border.
"We have on several occasions asked the government to talk to the Chinese authorities for opening the border for a short period to ease the hardship of the villagers," CDO further said.
Related story
Five years after the 2015 earthquake, Gorkha stands strong
